The present invention pertains to management and publication of ideas for inventions accumulated in a computer database. The accumulated ideas may include needs, problems, solutions, requirements, discoveries and/or inventions and/or be systematically accumulated prior to filing patent applications for inventions derived at least in part from the accumulated ideas. A discovery of a problem, need or requirement calling for a solution is commonly an integral idea-component of an invention.
The present invention provides a method of managing ideas for prospectively patentable inventions, comprising the steps of:                (a) causing a computer system to execute instructions that cause accumulation of idea contributions for prospectively patentable inventions in a computer database;        (b) causing the computer system to execute instructions that cause the systematic establishment of contractual obligations by contributors of said idea contributions to said database to transfer property rights under patent rights to inventions respectively derived at least in part from said contributed ideas to a proprietor of said database or to a party in concert with said proprietor; and        (c) prior to filing any patent applications for any particular inventions derived at least in part from said accumulated idea contributions, causing the computer system to execute instructions that cause the systematic publishing of said accumulated idea contributions that said particular inventions are derived from.        
The foregoing steps are performed by one party or by different parties in concert with one another.
The present invention also provides computer readable storage media, comprising computer executable instructions for causing a computer to manage ideas in accordance with the method of the present invention.
Additional features of the present invention are described with reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiments.